Welcome to the page to nominate titles for Panda 2012 Older Readers. Make sure you always post your review above the latest review and use the following format:
Username-Date-Title-Author-Review
Small Change for Stuart Lissa Evans
The Accidental Genius of Weasel High Rick Detorie (Author)
Sign of Four Graphic novel
Can I see your ID by Chris Barton NF
Trish McNair--March 5 Wildwood. Meloy, Colin (author).I llustrated by Carson Ellis. Sept. 2011.
If you like stories in which spunky kids emerge from secret tunnels only to be greeted by smartly outfitted badgers operating rickshaws, this is your book. Meloy’s debut is the kind of delicate, elaborate fantasy that is so well versed in classic Narnian tropes that it is destined to be enthusiastically embraced. After her baby brother is abducted by crows, 12-year-old Prue is compelled to enter the Impassable Wilderness—an ominous forest just outside of Portland, Oregon. Although Prue is initially joined by her classmate Curtis, the kids are soon split up as they become embroiled in a war between stuffy bureaucrats, bandit separatists, militant birds, and the evil Dowager Governess. The two leads are fairly boilerplate, and some readers may find the constant panoply of helpful, uniformed animals (most likely speaking in English accents) too precious. These elements, though, are more than balanced by flashes of darkness—blood sacrifices, death in battle, and more—that would make the Brothers Grimm proud. Meloy, best known as the literate lead singer of the Decemberists, clearly knows that weird vocabulary is part of the genre’s fun and has no qualms dropping 10-dollar words like retinue and totemic. Frequent, droll illustrations further solidify Wildwood as a uniquely alive place—right down to the stubborn blackberries and vengeful ivy.
Nadine Rosevear - March 5 - My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece - Annabel Pitcher, 2011 - realistic fiction
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9429895-my-sister-lives-on-the-mantelpiece
Narrated by ten year old Jamie, a stunning debut novel about the tragedy that tears apart his family after a terrorist attack, and how they rebuild their lives. Unabridged edition.
Ten-year-old Jamie Matthews has just moved to the Lake District with his Dad and his teenage sister, Jasmine for a 'Fresh New Start'. Five years ago his sister's twin, Rose, was blown up by a terrorist bomb. His parents are wrecked by their grief, Jasmine turns to piercing, pink hair and stops eating. The family falls apart. But Jamie hasn't cried in all that time. To him Rose is just a distant memory. Jamie is far more interested in his cat, Roger, his birthday Spiderman T-shirt, and in keeping his new friend Sunya a secret from his dad. And in his deep longing and unshakeable belief that his Mum will come back to the family she walked out on months ago. When he sees a TV advert for a talent show, he feels certain that this will change everything and bring them all back together once and for all.
Nadine Rosevear - March 5 - Tempest - Julie Cross, 2011, UK - time travel, science fiction
Kirkus Review starred (November 15, 2011)
Jackson Meyer is a 19-year-old Upper East Sider with a loving and loyal girlfriend, a brilliant and funny best friend and an unexpected and exciting new talent. Inexplicably, Jackson can suddenly "jump" back and forth in time. Exploring his gift for time travel begins as harmless fun but quickly turns into a bona fide race against time as Jackson journeys two years into the past to save the girl he loves in the present. Using a combination of Jackson's journal entries and his own first-person narration, debut author Cross takes readers on a thrilling ride as Jackson struggles to harness his abilities in a desperate attempt to learn the truth about who he is and, even more importantly, who he can trust. Though plenty complicated, the logistics of time travel are woven into the story in a way that makes them accessible to readers yet still feel organic. The characters are equally well crafted.Complex and distinct, they will work their way into readers' hearts and stay with them long after the book is finished. It is equal parts adventure, romance, science fiction and touching family drama; readers will turn the last page and find themselves wishing they could "jump" to the future and read the sequel. (Science fiction. 14 & up)
Nadine Rosevear - March 5 - Mortal Chaos - Matt Dickinson, 2012- UK --Adventure
By Martin Chilton, Digital Culture Editor http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/children_sbookreviews/9057040/Mortal-Chaos-by-Matt-Dickinson-review.html
Information comes at us like a blizzard in the modern age so how are authors, particularly those writing for young adults, to react, adapt and lead the way in inspiring people to pick up a book and read?
Well, grabbing someone's attention and keeping it has always worked - and that's what Matt Dickinson does from the start in his captivating new novel Mortal Chaos.
From its snappy title to its pacy plot, this is a gripping tale that starts simply with a butterfly startling a rabbit. When the rabbit makes a horse rear it sparks a chain of events which affects different people all over the world - from two kids in a wood in Wiltshire, to an 18-year-old Japanese climber approaching the summit of the North Face of Mount Everest.
One of the boldest decisions for Dickinson must have been to forego having one traditional central, sympathetic hero character. But the snapshots of the people hit by the ripple effects of this 'Chaos Theory' story are assured and vivid and you become engrossed in their fates without knowing their back stories.
Karen Gockley, March 5
Karen Gockley, February 23rd (This is a new author with a starred review who seems interesting and is very kid friendly for an author visit.) Eye of the Storm. Kate Messner.
In the not-too-distant future, huge tornadoes and monster storms are a part of everyday life. Sent to spend the summer in the heart of storm country with her father in the special StormSafe community his company has developed, Jaden Meggs is excited to reconnect with her dad after he spent years researching storm technology in Russia. She’ll also be attending the exclusive summer science camp, Eye On Tomorrow, that her dad founded. There, Jaden meets Alex, a boy whose passion for science matches hers, and together they discover a horrible truth about her dad’s research that is putting countless lives at risk. As a massive tornado approaches, threatening to destroy everything in its path, Jaden is torn between loyalty to her dad and revealing his secret. Can she find the courage to confront her dad and save everyone from the biggest storm yet?
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Trish McNair--March 5, 2012 The Wikkeling. Arntson, Steven (author) Illustrated by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini. May 2011. Though this is very much a dystopian novel at heart, don’t mistake it for the sort of gritty, hellish version that dominates the current awful-future trend. Instead, this world is kind of a dull place, especially for a kid like Henrietta, subjected to rigorously standardized education and zealously overprotective safeguards: everything from tools and matches (only ever seen in old-timey movies) to triple-harnessed bus seats to live-feed BedCams. In the massive, gridlocked, advertising-pummeled city of the Addition, Henrietta discovers a hidden attic, from which she peers out of a window onto a pastoral street long lost to time. That’s the nice part. The scary part is that she and two new friends are being followed around by a lurching apparition called the Wikkeling that demands to know, “Where do you go?” What Arntson is really doing is looking forward to look back, using a near-future technoland to counterpoint the joys of old books over cell phones, trees over highways, and creatures just at the periphery of understanding over mollycoddled safety. It’s all kind of creepy (especially with Terrazzini’s silhouette artwork), deadpan funny, and totally engrossing, even though the book doesn’t come close to fully explaining everything. But that is ultimately a smart move; asking for a bit of interpretation makes this challenging and at times even confounding read that much more memorable. Although too many books are burdened with unnecessary sequels, this one screams for one, or even many.
Nadine Rosevear- February 17, 2012 - City of Orphans - Avi - historical fiction/survival
Booklist starred (August 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 22)
Grades 5-8. Dickensian street action comes to New York’s Lower East Side in this gripping story, set in 1893, about newsboy Maks, 13, who feels “hungry twenty-five hours a day.” After rescuing a filthy, homeless girl, Willa, Maks takes her to the crowded tenement he shares with his struggling Danish immigrant family. Pursued by Bruno, the leader of the Plug Ugly street gang, Maks is desperate to save his sister, Emma, who was imprisoned after being falsely accused of stealing a watch from the Waldorf Hotel, where she worked as a cleaner. Just as compelling as the fast-moving plot’s twists and turns is the story’s social realism, brought home by the contrasts between the overcrowded, unsanitary slums (“No water, gas, electricity”) and the luxurious Waldorf. Then there are the unspeakable conditions in prison, where, even as a prisoner, Emma must pay for food. Avi writes in an immediate, third-person, present-tense voice, mostly from Maks’ colloquial viewpoint (“He’s full of heartache, but no one is seeing it”), with occasional switches to Willa and to the young gangster leader. Threading together the drama are tense mysteries: Is Willa really an orphan? Who stole the watch? Pair this riveting historical novel with Linda Granfield’s 97 Orchard Street, New York: Stories of Immigrant Life (2001), a nonfiction account of Lower East Side tenements.
Nadine Rosevear - February 15, 2012 - The Devil Walks - Anne Fine - Horror http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10297213-the-devil-walks
“The Devil Walks” is a gothic thriller for older children and just the right kind of book to curl up with as the nights draw in. Our tale is narrated by Daniel who has spent his childhood years sequestered in his bedroom, a reclusive invalid cared for by his widowed mother. However, all is not as it seems, it turns out that Daniel’s background is shrouded in secrecy and as his story progresses, we discover what dark and dastardly skeletons lurk in the family vaults.
Nadine Rosevear - February 15, 2012 - Eight Keys - Suzanne Lafleur, 2011 - realistic fiction, friendship
Booklist (September 1, 2011 (Vol. 108, No. 1)
Grades 4-7. A few days before middle school begins, Elise is still playing imaginary games with her best friend, Franklin. Soon, she realizes Franklin isn’t cool, and she is not either, by association. School is turning awful, as her locker partner takes delight in making her life miserable, and she has gotten behind in her homework, seemingly never to catch up. To make matters worse, a wonderful life with her uncle Hugh and aunt Bessie is interrupted by the arrival of another relative and her baby. This might seem like plenty for one story, and it is, but the special part of the book comes when Elise begins to find keys that open doors to rooms designed by her late father to help her understand life and explain the hopes he has for her. Told in Elise’s authentic first-person voice, the deft narrative surrounds the everyday problems sixth-graders face with the aura of more meaningful and larger question, which are intended to move Elise forward. Although adults often get short shrift in middle-grade fiction, here they are strongly yet gently drawn, perfect guides for Elise’s journey.
Kathryn Turner - February 10, 2012 - Drawing from Memory - Allen Say - graphic novel
Booklist starred (August 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 22))
Grades 4-7. Say, a Caldecott Medal–winning picture-book creator, returns to his most fertile ground—true life—to tell the story of how he became an artist. He began living alone when he was 12, paying a little attention to schoolwork and a lot of attention to drawing, a pursuit that flourished under the mentorship of his favorite cartoonist, Noro Shinpei. His narrative is fascinating, winding through formative early-teen experiences in Japan as he honed his skills and opened his eyes to the greater world around him. This heavily illustrated autobiography features Say’s characteristically strong artwork. The visually stunning sequences include a standout scene in which the young artist and a friend stumble upon a massive demonstration, which is depicted as a huge crowd of people that snakes down one page and is stopped short by a brick wall of police on the next. The scrapbook format features photographs, many of them dim with age; sketchbook drawings; and unordered, comic-book-style panels that float around wide swathes of text and unboxed captions, and the overall effect is sometimes disjointed. Still, as a portrait of a young artist, this is a powerful title that is both culturally and personally resonant.
Nadine Rosevear - February 10, 2011 - Flyaway - Lucy Christopher, 2011 - realistic fiction
Booklist starred (August 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 22))
Grades 5-8. Like her father and grandfather, 13-year-old Isla seems to have a mystical connection, as well as emotional bond, with the swans that migrate to their area each winter. But after her dad collapses during a birding expedition, Isla’s focus abruptly shifts from the nature preserve to the hospital’s coronary care unit. Though worried about her father, she finds solace in her deepening friendship with Harry, a boy who has leukemia; in her bond with a lone whooper swan nearby; and in an unusual school project that takes on a life of its own. Christopher, who wrote the Printz Honor Book Stolen (2010), offers younger readers a quiet but compelling story with several well-realized, idiosyncratic characters. She skillfully develops the novel’s varied elements and weaves them into a unified narrative that occasionally falls into a predictable pattern only to surprise the reader once again. As narrator, Isla conveys with equal sensitivity her discomfort in the initially alien hospital environment, her growing understanding of family history, and her realizations about herself and those she loves. Though written for a slightly older audience, this sensitive novel will resonate with many readers who enjoyed Gill Lewis’ Wild Wings (2011).
Eleanor Surridge-Feb. 9/12-Drawing from Memory-Allen Say-USA 2011-non-fiction (autobiography)
Grades 5-8
Horn Book (Sept/Oct 2011): "Covering roughly the same period as the artist's autobiographical novel The Ink-Keeper's Apprentice (rev. 6/79), this rendering of Say's adolescence takes the form of an album, with text, photographs, drawings, and paintings all enlisted to convey events. At the center of the book, as before, is Say's relationship with his sensei, Noro Shinpei, a popular cartoonist in postwar Japan who took Say on as an apprentice when the boy was only thirteen. Say includes several of his teacher's cartoons in this book, which is harmoniously designed to allow the great variety of images room to work together without crowding. For example, in a sequence illustrating the riot in which Say and fellow student Tokida find themselves, a tidy ink-and-watercolor sketch of the orderly student demonstration is followed by an ominous painting, all blacks and grays, of the waiting police, with a concluding gestural ink sketch of the clash between the two groups. Throughout, you can see canny artistic choices being made -- color here, monochrome there, a cartoon, a snapshot -- that reinforce content with appropriate form. Where The Ink-Keeper's Apprentice was an intense and often gritty portrait of an awakening artist, Drawing from Memory is more discreet and rather more recollected in tranquility, placing a coming-of-age story within the context of a long life and vocation." roger sutton
Nadine Rosevear - February 2, 2012 - Dead End in Norvelt - Jack Gantos- USA 2011- realistic fiction (Newbery Medal 2012)
Booklist (August 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 22)
Grades 5-8. Looks like a bummer of a summer for 11-year-old Jack (with a same-name protagonist, it’s tempting to assume that at least some of this novel comes from the author’s life). After discharging his father’s WWII-souvenir Japanese rifle and cutting down his mom’s fledgling cornfield, he gets grounded for the rest of his life or the rest of the summer of 1962, whichever comes first. Jack gets brief reprieves to help an old neighbor write obituaries for the falling-like-flies original residents of Norvelt, a dwindling coal-mining town. Jack makes a tremendously entertaining tour guide and foil for the town’s eccentric citizens, and his warmhearted but lightly antagonistic relationship with his folks makes for some memorable one-upmanship. Gantos, as always, deliver bushels of food for thought and plenty of outright guffaws, though the story gets stuck in neutral for much of the midsection. When things pick up again near the end of the summer, surprise twists and even a quick-dissolve murder mystery arrive to pay off patient readers. Those with a nose for history will be especially pleased.
Nadine Rosevear - February 2, 2012 - Shadow - Michael Morpurgo - UK 2010 - survival
Never have Aman and his mother needed a friend more than when a springer spaniel appears in the mouth of their Afghan cave. Nursed back to health by Aman, the dog becomes a constant companion, a shadow, and that's what Aman decides to call her. But life in Afghanistan becomes more dangerous by the moment. Eventually, Aman, his mother and Shadow find the courage to leave. But how far can Shadow lead them?
Nadine Rosevear - February 2, 2012 - An Elephant in the Garden - Michael Morpurgo - UK 2011 - Historical Fiction
Booklist (October 1, 2011 (Vol. 108, No. 3)
Grades 4-8. Alternating narratives tell the story of a family’s remarkable survival of the Allied bombing of Dresden in 1945. Lizzie’s mother works at the Dresden Zoo, which plans to destroy its largest animals lest they escape during a bombing. Mutti rescues Marlene, an orphan elephant she raised from infancy. Marlene takes to her new family, particularly to Lizzie’s little brother, Karli, and when the bombers arrive, Marlene accompanies them on their trek across Germany, away from the invading Russians and toward the advancing American army. Along the way, they meet a wounded Canadian soldier, who himself becomes an integral part of this makeshift family. Morpurgo frames the story with a contemporary perspective. Lizzie, now an elderly woman in a nursing home, tells her tale to the young son of a nurse who reminds her of her own young brother. The occasional interruptions to the story build suspense and add a layer of resonance to Morpurgo’s poignant and thoughtful exploration of the terrible impact of war on both sides of the fighting.
CindyColson - 20th January 2012 - Trapped - by Michael Northrop USA 2011- Booklist It’s a setup just plausible enough to give you chills. A nor’easter, which will ultimately be known as the worst blizzard in U.S. history, sweeps into a rural New England community, trapping seven kids inside their high school for days. Northrop begins with some dark foreshadowing—“Not all of us made it”—which makes the students’ gradual realization of their predicament all the more frightening. First the snow piles up past the windows; then the water pipes freeze; then the roof starts making ominous noises. What begins as a sort of life-or-death The Breakfast Club (there’s the delinquent, the pretty girl, the athlete, and so on) quickly turns into a battle for survival. The book is too short; in many ways, that’s a compliment. Northrop establishes so many juicy conflicts and potential disasters that you long to see them carried out to their full, gruesome potential. Instead, the book ends right when it’s hitting its stride—but there’s no denying that the pages turn like wildfire.
Nadine Rosevear - January 18, 2012 - Chime - Franny Billingsley c2011 USA - fantasy/supernatural fiction.
Library Media Connection (August/September 2011)
Briony believes herself to be a witch. Told in first person, this is the story of two sisters with a mysterious past. Their stepmother died of arsenic poisoning. Briony has the second sight-she can see the "Old Ones." There is a trial where it is discovered that Briony is not the witch she believes herself to be. Famous people such as Darwin and Freud and inventions such as motorcars are mentioned, but there is no real time frame, except for a cryptic insertion of the twentieth century towards the end of the book. The tale is a little quirky, especially as the narrator is laboring under false memory and delusions, and her "self-talk" gets a little cumbersome at times. However, the romance element is sweet and believable, and the supernatural elements do not dominate the story. Give this to students who enjoyed Need (Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2009) by Carrie Jones, as it has similar themes. Robin Henry, Library Media Specialist, Wakeland High School, Frisco, Texas. RECOMMENDED
Nadine Rosevear - January 18, 2012 - The Lions of Little Rock - Kristin Levine c2012 USA -historical fiction.
Booklist (January 1, 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 9)
Grades 5-8. In Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1958, as politicians rage for and against the struggle to integrate schools, Marlee, 13, is a math whiz but she has a personal problem with mutism—she’s terrified to say things aloud in public. Then she makes friends—and more importantly, talks—with Lizzie, the new girl in her middle school, who encourages Marlee to even do an oral presentation in class together. Then one day Lizzie is thrown out of school. It turns out that she is a light-skinned black passing for white, and the locals refuse to follow the federal integration order. (Several kids and rabid adults use the n-word.) Marlee and Lizzie meet secretly, until it becomes too dangerous, with threatening phone calls and the KKK always around. Marlee discovers dynamite in a classmate’s car, and yet still the police do nothing. Marlee’s first-person narrative brings home the standoffs with classmates, family, and officials, but what is most moving is that while most do not change, some do. Readers who want more about the history can start with the long final note and bibliography.
Nadine Rosevear - January 18, 2012 - The Trouble with May Amelia - Jennifer L. Holm c2011 USA - historical fiction
Library Media Connection (August/September 2011)
It's 1900 and life on the Nasel River in Washington State isn't easy. Getting around requires rowing a boat and keeping your eyes open for escaped bulls and wild cougars. The daily happenings of the Jackson family and their neighbors are told by May Amelia, the sole remaining daughter, who has to deal with seven brothers and a dispirited father. In this sequel to her Newbery Honor book, Our Only May Amelia (HarperCollins, 1999), Holm continues the story based on her own family's history. Reading about the family's difficult life is interesting and informative. The community deals with every sort of life problem imaginable-death, abandonment, financial ruin, family honor, immigration, pregnancy, etc. Because of the more mature themes, I'd offer this book to my older students to enjoy as a standalone or as a worthy sequel. Joanne Ligamari, Library Media Teacher, Garden Valley and Harmon Johnson Elementary Schools, Sacramento, California. RECOMMENDED
Nadine Rosevear - January 18, 2012 - Jefferson's Sons - Kimberly Brubaker Bradley c2011 USA - historical fiction
Booklist (September 15, 2011 (Vol. 108, No. 2)
Grades 7-10. Don’t you ever call him Papa. This gripping novel captures the viewpoints of the young children President Thomas Jefferson fathered with one of his slaves, Sally Hemings. Growing up in a cabin at Monticello, the children are told not to mention their father. The president is kind to Sally’s oldest son, Beverly, and encourages him to play the violin. Jefferson promises the children they will be freed at 21. Beverly and his sister, Harriet, look white. Could they pass? But what about their brother, Maddy, who is dark-skinned? Could they leave him behind? The detailed history may overwhelm some readers. But told from the children’s naive viewpoints, first Beverly’s, then Maddy’s, then that of little Peter, another young slave who is beloved by the Hemings family, the young innocents’ elemental questions raise fundamental issues for the reader. How could founding father Jefferson sell off Maddy’s best friend? What does it mean, all people are created equal?
Nadine Rosevear - January 18, 2012 - Dogtag Summer - Elizabeth Partridge c2011 USA -coming of age/historical fiction
Booklist (March 1, 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 13)
Grades 6-9. Ghosts of the Vietnam War haunt Tracy, who as a young child refugee was adopted by a family in California. She remembers early trauma and knows her birth parents were Vietnamese (mother) and American (father), but she searches to find emotional security in her new land, where she still feels like an outsider. Why is her adoptive dad, a Vietnam War vet, often so tense and closed off? When she and pal Stargazer find a Pandora’s box in the guise of an old ammo box in the toolshed, the dog tag and photo inside set off an explosion of revelations. Dad resists Tracy’s questions angrily and finally, after facing what is obviously post-traumatic stress disorder, helps everyone come together with the truth in a way that does not seem forced. Creative and winsome, supporting character Stargazer is a story in himself, and his and Tracy’s escapades help to build this poignant coming-of-age tale into a story that resonates with pain and a hard-fought resolution.
Nadine Rosevear - January 18, 2012 - Icefall - Matthew Kirby c2011 USA - adventure/historical mystery
School Library Journal (November 1, 2011)
Gr 4-7-Solveig and her two siblings are sent to the far end of a fiord for safety's sake while their father battles to save his kingdom. Solveig knows that the elite warriors who brought them there are entrusted to guard her younger brother, Harald, the crown prince. Older sister Asa, favored for her beauty and marriage potential, causes Solveig to agonize about her own insignificance and lack of purpose. Supplies dwindle while waiting for victory news, and anxiety increases as a warship full of the king's berserkers arrives just as ice closes over the fiord. Stranded for the winter, the untamed warriors are restless and unpredictable, and begin to raise mayhem in the camp, killing Solveig's pet goat and accusing one another of treason. Calmed only by listening to stories told by Alrec the skald (poet of the living past), the boorish Vikings become attentive to Solveig as well, bolstering her confidence and providing a means for the author to (ingeniously) integrate tales from Norse mythology, featuring gods Odin and Thor, supernatural creatures, and fallen warriors. In a page-turning climax, the fiord thaws and enemies arrive to overpower the berserkers and kidnap Harald. The ensuing battle and survival scenes are vividly portrayed, and characters fight back with the epic heroism of gods. Solveig is an empathetic heroine and Hake, the hulky berserker war chief, is also a well-developed and (eventually) endearing character. Fans of John Flanagan's "Ranger's Apprentice" series (Philomel) will enjoy this adventure tale.-Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Nadine Rosevear - January 18, 2012 - Amelia lost : the life and disappearance of Amelia Earhart - Candace Fleming c2011 USA - non-fiction
Booklist (December 1, 2010 (Vol. 107, No. 7)
Grades 4-7. Drawing on her training as a historian and her considerable writing talents, Fleming (The Great and Only Barnum, 2009) offers a fresh look at this famous aviatrix. Employing dual narratives—straightforward biographical chapters alternating with a chilling recounting of Earhart’s final flight and the search that followed—Fleming seeks to uncover the “history in the hype,” pointing out numerous examples in which Earhart took an active role in mythologizing her own life. While not disparaging Earhart’s achievements, Fleming cites primary sources revealing that Earhart often flew without adequate preparation and that she and her husband, George Putnam, used every opportunity to promote her celebrity, including soliciting funds from sponsors. The use of a gray-tone background for the disappearance chapters successfully differentiates the narratives for younger readers. Frequent sidebars, well-chosen maps, archival documents, and photos further clarify textual references without disturbing the overall narrative flow. Appended with a generous bibliography and detailed source notes, this is a book most libraries will want both for its fascinating story and as an illustration of how research can alter historical perspective.
Nadine Rosevear - January 18, 2012 - Wonderstruck - Brian Selznick c2011 USA - historical fiction
Booklist starred (August 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 22)
Grades 4-8. Opening Selznick’s new book is like opening a cabinet of wonders—the early museum display case “filled with a nearly infinite variety of amazing things” that is so central to this story. Following the Caldecott Medal–winning The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007), Selznick offers another visual narrative, one that feels even better suited to his inventive style. The beautifully crafted structure includes two stories set 50 years apart. The first, set in 1977, is told in text and follows Ben, who is grieving the sudden loss of his mother when he stumbles upon clues that point to his father’s identity. The second, told entirely in richly shaded pencil drawings, opens in 1927 as a young girl, Rose, gazes at a newspaper clipping. Rose is deaf, and Ben also loses his hearing, during a lightning strike. Both lonely children run away to New York City, and their parallel stories echo and reflect each other through nuanced details, which lead “like a treasure map” to a conjoined, deeply satisfying conclusion. Selznick plays with a plethora of interwoven themes, including deafness and silence, the ability to see and value the world, family, and the interconnectedness of life. Although the book is hefty, at more than 600 pages, the pace is nevertheless brisk, and the kid-appealing mystery propels the story. With appreciative nods to museums, libraries, and E. L. Konigsburg, Wonderstruck is a gift for the eye, mind, and heart.
Nadine Rosevear - January 18, 2012 - Breaking Stalin's Nose - Eugene Yelchin c2011 USA - historical fiction
Booklist (October 15, 2011 (Vol. 108, No. 4)
Grades 6-9. Growing up under Stalin, Sasha Zaichik, 10, lives with his widower dad and 48 others in a crowded apartment with one kitchen and one toilet. Sasha’s dream is to be like his father, serving the great leader and working in the State Security secret police. Then his dad is arrested: did a neighbor betray him? At school, Sasha is recruited to report on anticommunist activity. The present-tense narrative is true to the young kid’s naive viewpoint, but the story is for older readers, especially as the shocking revelations reach the climax of what torture can make you confess. Picture-book illustrator Yelchin was raised in post-Stalinist Russia in the 1960s and left the country when he was 27. In his first novel, he uses the child’s innocent viewpoint to dramatize the heartbreaking secrets and lies, and graphite illustrations show the terrifying arrests of enemies of the people, even children, like Sasha’s classmate. In an afterword, Yelchin discusses the history and the brutal regime that affected millions.
Nadine Rosevear - January 18, 2012 - The Clockwork Three - Matthew Kirby c2010 - USA - steampunk
Library Media Connection (January/February 2011)
Set in what many will recognize as a richly created adaptation of 19th century New York City, the novel follows three young adults who are trying to find their places in the world and make their dreams come true. Giuseppe, an Italian orphan, earns money playing the violin on street corners. He yearns to return to Italy to find his siblings. Frederick, another orphan, works as an apprentice to a watchmaker. His wish is to make journeyman so he can be independent. Hannah supports her family by working as a hotel maid. She yearns to make enough money to move her family out of the tenements. Chance encounters connect the three, each told from that character's point of view. The three are slowly drawn together on an adventure. Kirby simultaneously pulls back the layers surrounding each teen and moves the action forward until the three disparate stories mesh together. The suspense builds, keeping the reader hooked until the end, which does leave room for a sequel. An article about child labor in 1873 gave Kirby the germ for the idea for Giuseppe. Recommended. Esther R. Sinofsky, Director, Instructional Media Services, Los Angeles (California) Unified School District
Josianne Fitzgerald - January 11, 2012 - A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness c2011 - USA http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Calls-Inspired-idea-Siobhan/dp/0763655597/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326270193&sr=8-1
Big themes of grief and denial make this a meaty book for literature discussions.
Review from School Library Journal: Gr 7 Up-Conor O'Malley, 13, is having a difficult time. At school, he copes with bullying and loneliness. His father is living in America with his new family, and at home he has to contend with a recurring nightmare that torments him every night. His mother is seriously ill and undergoing painful cancer treatments. One night, he wakes up to a voice calling his name. An ancient, treelike monster, hovering over him like a sleeping giant, has come to tell him three stories. When the monster is done, he wishes for Conor to tell him a fourth tale, wanting the scariest thing of all-the truth. The wise monster's ambiguous tales contain unexpected outcomes and help demonstrate that not all stories have happy endings, but they can be more important than anything else if they carry the truth. Conor has to accept the truth about his mother's prognosis and letting go, even if it means losing her. Only then can he start to heal, without destroying himself in the process. This is an extraordinarily moving story inspired by an idea from author Siobhan Dowd before she passed away. Kay's shadowy illustrations slither along the borders of the pages and intermingle with text to help set its dark, mysterious mood, while Conor is often seen as a silhouette. A brilliantly executed, powerful tale.-Krista Welz, North Bergen Public Library, NJ (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Nadine Rosevear-January 10,2012 - The Storm Begins (Book 1 of The History Keepers) - Damian Dibben c2011
By Fleur (Amazon.co.uk) - fantasy http://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Keepers-Storm-Begins/dp/0857530534
A swash-buckling adventure yarn about a boy who finds himself in a secret world of time travel and History Protection - If history is destroyed there will be nothing we could have built on, civilisation as we know it could have never evolved. This essential endeavour is set against a backdrop of amazing fashion, exotic locations, beautiful artefacts, colorful and vivid characters whose complex relationships will appeal to both young and adult readers. The method for time travel is innovative and imaginative, (no boring time machines here). The locations and times will inspire readers to want find out more about their world and go and visit..., which they can... because these places are REAL.
As a teacher of A levels I was delighted that historical events were seamlessly woven into the story, AND there were enticing references to the History of Ideas, which students of all subjects find fascinating. Throughout is a friendly humour both intelligent and lavatorial; this book is not mean and worthy, it has a vast range of time, space and appeal.
History Keepers may not catapult your child into being a renaissance man/woman, but its a good start.
Nadine Rosevear-January 10,2012 - Anya's War - Andrea Alban c2011- historical fiction
Library Media Connection (May/June 2011)
In 1937 fourteen-year-old Anya Rosen's family has moved to the Jewish quarters in Shanghai, China, to escape the rise of the Communist Party in the Ukraine. At the opening of the story, Amelia Earhart is missing. She is revered by Anya and her friends who greatly admire Amelia's break with traditional roles and values. Anya and her friends have made a vow not to accept the traditional path for young Jewish girls-marriage and a houseful of children. Instead, they opt to attend Columbia University. When Anya rescues an abandoned baby girl, she discovers that the limitations on females in society go far beyond her Jewish roots as she tries to find a safe haven for the newborn. The book is rich in Chinese and Jewish customs. Besides the obvious curriculum connections that encourage an investigation into the historical context of China and Japan in pre-World War II and Jewish and Chinese culture, this book also leads to discussions on male and female relationships, teen dating, socio-economic differences, and the author's inferred reference towards war in the book's title. Recommended. Sabrina Carnesi, School Librarian, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, Virginia
Nadine Rosevear-December 13, 2011 - A Time of Miracles - Anne-Laure Bondoux originally published in French c2009, c2010
School Library Journal (January 1, 2011) - historical/realistic fiction
Gr 8 Up-Blaise Fortune has gone by the name Koumail for most of his life with Gloria in the war-torn Republic of Georgia. Although he loves her like a mother, he enjoys hearing the story of how she rescued him from a train that had derailed and his French mother, a passenger, died, and he dreams of the day he will find his real family. When the Soviet Union collapses, Gloria and Koumail begin a long, perilous journey to France where she believes he can live the life he deserves, without the stress and strife of war. Readers follow them through refugee camps, alternating between times of more peaceful hardship and periods of danger and flight. When Gloria tells Koumail to hide in a truck, he makes it to France but she is left behind. As he grows from a child into an adolescent, Koumail begins to wonder more about his true identity, and the novel culminates nine years later with a heartbreaking realization. The story is written in beautiful, quiet prose and offers a touch of hope, along with tragedy. The characters and story are well formed, but young people unfamiliar with the circumstances of life behind the Iron Curtain and the collapse of the Soviet Union might be confused as much of the conflict and political situation isn't explained until near the end of the book. However, those who stay with it will be rewarded with an exceptional story.-Sharon Senser McKellar, Oakland Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Nadine Rosevear-December 7, 2011- The Apothecary- Maile Meloy c2011 - fantasy Booklist (September 1, 2011 (Vol. 108, No. 1) Grades 6-9. Janie, 14, has been living happily with her screenwriter parents in Hollywood. But it’s 1952, and blacklisting makes it imperative that the family moves to London, where a TV job awaits. Janie is not happy about this, but a startling adventure opens to her as she becomes friends with Benjamin Burrows, whose father is an apothecary, and not just any apothecary. Mr. Burrows is part of a small, international group of scientists who are trying to contain the destructive results of the atomic bomb, including a weapon that is being tested off the coast of Russia. Those who know little about blacklisting, the Cold War, and European life after WWII will just have to dive into the fantasy-adventure pool, which runs long and deep. Magic elixirs, transformational disguises, and everyday cunning help Janie, Benjamin, and several scientists elude capture and defeat the desperate cabal that supports the Soviet Union. Readers must be willing to traverse a complicated tale and avoid stepping in a few plot holes, but Meloy offers a strong narrator in Janie and an intriguing mix of history and mystery.
Nadine Rosevear-November 25,2011 - Black Radishes - Susan Lynn Meyer c2010 - historical fiction
Library Media Connection (May/June 2011)
This debut novel was inspired by the author's father's experience as a young Jewish boy living in Nazi-occupied France. The story opens in pre-war Paris where Gustave and his cousin and best friend participate in a Boy Scout scavenger hunt. As the story progresses, anti-Jewish sentiment grows. Gustave's parents decide that it is too dangerous to stay. While they wait for their visas, they move to Saint-Georges, a village in the French countryside. When Gustave meets Nicole, a Catholic girl from the village, he is finally able to make a friend, one who turns out to work for the French Resistance. As conditions worsen, Gustave's quick thinking and the German soldiers' fondness of black radishes help with a plot to outwit the German guards. This well-written, suspenseful book offers another perspective on the events of World War II. Gustave and Nicole are appealing heroes with whom young readers will identify. Of particular note is the map of Europe that Gustave keeps on his wall, painting each country that falls to Nazi Germany in red. The reader feels his tension and confusion. An author's note gives some details about Meyer's own family history. Highly Recommended. Jennifer Hartshorn, Children's Librarian, Concord, New Hampshire
Nadine Rosevear-November 25,2011 - Small as an Elephant - Jennifer Jacobson c2011 - realistic fiction Library Media Connection (August/September 2011) Eleven-year-old Jack awakens at a campsite on Mount Desert Island-alone. Not for the first time, he finds his mother gone. At first he feels she will turn up, but as he uses up his money, ruins his phone, and has his sleeping bag and clothing stolen, he begins to think that the only thing that might change his luck is seeing an elephant named Lydia at the York Wild Kingdom. The wisdom of the elephant is an integral part of Jack's thinking, so he steals a small toy elephant that acts as a talisman and helps protect him on his way and especially in his quest to prevent his mother from being declared a bad parent. A classic journey story, this is a very believable and exciting adventure with modern accoutrements. The reader finds himself trying to anticipate Jack's next move throughout the novel. Barbara Foraker, Librarian, Cherokee High School, Rogersville, Tennessee. RECOMMENDED
Make sure you always post your review above the latest review and use the following format:
Username-Date-Title-Author-Review
Small Change for Stuart
Lissa Evans
The Accidental Genius of Weasel High
Rick Detorie (Author)
Sign of Four
Graphic novel
Can I see your ID by Chris Barton
NF
Trish McNair--March 5 Wildwood. Meloy, Colin (author).I llustrated by Carson Ellis. Sept. 2011.
If you like stories in which spunky kids emerge from secret tunnels only to be greeted by smartly outfitted badgers operating rickshaws, this is your book. Meloy’s debut is the kind of delicate, elaborate fantasy that is so well versed in classic Narnian tropes that it is destined to be enthusiastically embraced. After her baby brother is abducted by crows, 12-year-old Prue is compelled to enter the Impassable Wilderness—an ominous forest just outside of Portland, Oregon. Although Prue is initially joined by her classmate Curtis, the kids are soon split up as they become embroiled in a war between stuffy bureaucrats, bandit separatists, militant birds, and the evil Dowager Governess. The two leads are fairly boilerplate, and some readers may find the constant panoply of helpful, uniformed animals (most likely speaking in English accents) too precious. These elements, though, are more than balanced by flashes of darkness—blood sacrifices, death in battle, and more—that would make the Brothers Grimm proud. Meloy, best known as the literate lead singer of the Decemberists, clearly knows that weird vocabulary is part of the genre’s fun and has no qualms dropping 10-dollar words like retinue and totemic. Frequent, droll illustrations further solidify Wildwood as a uniquely alive place—right down to the stubborn blackberries and vengeful ivy.
Nadine Rosevear - March 5 - My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece - Annabel Pitcher, 2011 - realistic fiction
Goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9429895-my-sister-lives-on-the-mantelpiece
Narrated by ten year old Jamie, a stunning debut novel about the tragedy that tears apart his family after a terrorist attack, and how they rebuild their lives. Unabridged edition.
Ten-year-old Jamie Matthews has just moved to the Lake District with his Dad and his teenage sister, Jasmine for a 'Fresh New Start'. Five years ago his sister's twin, Rose, was blown up by a terrorist bomb. His parents are wrecked by their grief, Jasmine turns to piercing, pink hair and stops eating. The family falls apart. But Jamie hasn't cried in all that time. To him Rose is just a distant memory. Jamie is far more interested in his cat, Roger, his birthday Spiderman T-shirt, and in keeping his new friend Sunya a secret from his dad. And in his deep longing and unshakeable belief that his Mum will come back to the family she walked out on months ago. When he sees a TV advert for a talent show, he feels certain that this will change everything and bring them all back together once and for all.
Nadine Rosevear - March 5 - Tempest - Julie Cross, 2011, UK - time travel, science fiction
Kirkus Review starred (November 15, 2011)
Jackson Meyer is a 19-year-old Upper East Sider with a loving and loyal girlfriend, a brilliant and funny best friend and an unexpected and exciting new talent. Inexplicably, Jackson can suddenly "jump" back and forth in time. Exploring his gift for time travel begins as harmless fun but quickly turns into a bona fide race against time as Jackson journeys two years into the past to save the girl he loves in the present. Using a combination of Jackson's journal entries and his own first-person narration, debut author Cross takes readers on a thrilling ride as Jackson struggles to harness his abilities in a desperate attempt to learn the truth about who he is and, even more importantly, who he can trust. Though plenty complicated, the logistics of time travel are woven into the story in a way that makes them accessible to readers yet still feel organic. The characters are equally well crafted.Complex and distinct, they will work their way into readers' hearts and stay with them long after the book is finished. It is equal parts adventure, romance, science fiction and touching family drama; readers will turn the last page and find themselves wishing they could "jump" to the future and read the sequel. (Science fiction. 14 & up)
Nadine Rosevear - March 5 - Mortal Chaos - Matt Dickinson, 2012- UK --Adventure
By Martin Chilton, Digital Culture Editor
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/children_sbookreviews/9057040/Mortal-Chaos-by-Matt-Dickinson-review.html
Information comes at us like a blizzard in the modern age so how are authors, particularly those writing for young adults, to react, adapt and lead the way in inspiring people to pick up a book and read?
Well, grabbing someone's attention and keeping it has always worked - and that's what Matt Dickinson does from the start in his captivating new novel Mortal Chaos.
From its snappy title to its pacy plot, this is a gripping tale that starts simply with a butterfly startling a rabbit. When the rabbit makes a horse rear it sparks a chain of events which affects different people all over the world - from two kids in a wood in Wiltshire, to an 18-year-old Japanese climber approaching the summit of the North Face of Mount Everest.
One of the boldest decisions for Dickinson must have been to forego having one traditional central, sympathetic hero character. But the snapshots of the people hit by the ripple effects of this 'Chaos Theory' story are assured and vivid and you become engrossed in their fates without knowing their back stories.
Karen Gockley, March 5
Karen Gockley, February 23rd (This is a new author with a starred review who seems interesting and is very kid friendly for an author visit.)
Eye of the Storm. Kate Messner.
In the not-too-distant future, huge tornadoes and monster storms are a part of everyday life. Sent to spend the summer in the heart of storm country with her father in the special StormSafe community his company has developed, Jaden Meggs is excited to reconnect with her dad after he spent years researching storm technology in Russia. She’ll also be attending the exclusive summer science camp, Eye On Tomorrow, that her dad founded. There, Jaden meets Alex, a boy whose passion for science matches hers, and together they discover a horrible truth about her dad’s research that is putting countless lives at risk. As a massive tornado approaches, threatening to destroy everything in its path, Jaden is torn between loyalty to her dad and revealing his secret. Can she find the courage to confront her dad and save everyone from the biggest storm yet?
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Trish McNair--March 5, 2012 The Wikkeling. Arntson, Steven (author) Illustrated by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini. May 2011.Though this is very much a dystopian novel at heart, don’t mistake it for the sort of gritty, hellish version that dominates the current awful-future trend. Instead, this world is kind of a dull place, especially for a kid like Henrietta, subjected to rigorously standardized education and zealously overprotective safeguards: everything from tools and matches (only ever seen in old-timey movies) to triple-harnessed bus seats to live-feed BedCams. In the massive, gridlocked, advertising-pummeled city of the Addition, Henrietta discovers a hidden attic, from which she peers out of a window onto a pastoral street long lost to time. That’s the nice part. The scary part is that she and two new friends are being followed around by a lurching apparition called the Wikkeling that demands to know, “Where do you go?” What Arntson is really doing is looking forward to look back, using a near-future technoland to counterpoint the joys of old books over cell phones, trees over highways, and creatures just at the periphery of understanding over mollycoddled safety. It’s all kind of creepy (especially with Terrazzini’s silhouette artwork), deadpan funny, and totally engrossing, even though the book doesn’t come close to fully explaining everything. But that is ultimately a smart move; asking for a bit of interpretation makes this challenging and at times even confounding read that much more memorable. Although too many books are burdened with unnecessary sequels, this one screams for one, or even many.
Nadine Rosevear- February 17, 2012 - City of Orphans - Avi - historical fiction/survival
Booklist starred (August 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 22)
Grades 5-8. Dickensian street action comes to New York’s Lower East Side in this gripping story, set in 1893, about newsboy Maks, 13, who feels “hungry twenty-five hours a day.” After rescuing a filthy, homeless girl, Willa, Maks takes her to the crowded tenement he shares with his struggling Danish immigrant family. Pursued by Bruno, the leader of the Plug Ugly street gang, Maks is desperate to save his sister, Emma, who was imprisoned after being falsely accused of stealing a watch from the Waldorf Hotel, where she worked as a cleaner. Just as compelling as the fast-moving plot’s twists and turns is the story’s social realism, brought home by the contrasts between the overcrowded, unsanitary slums (“No water, gas, electricity”) and the luxurious Waldorf. Then there are the unspeakable conditions in prison, where, even as a prisoner, Emma must pay for food. Avi writes in an immediate, third-person, present-tense voice, mostly from Maks’ colloquial viewpoint (“He’s full of heartache, but no one is seeing it”), with occasional switches to Willa and to the young gangster leader. Threading together the drama are tense mysteries: Is Willa really an orphan? Who stole the watch? Pair this riveting historical novel with Linda Granfield’s 97 Orchard Street, New York: Stories of Immigrant Life (2001), a nonfiction account of Lower East Side tenements.
Nadine Rosevear - February 15, 2012 - The Devil Walks - Anne Fine - Horror
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10297213-the-devil-walks
“The Devil Walks” is a gothic thriller for older children and just the right kind of book to curl up with as the nights draw in. Our tale is narrated by Daniel who has spent his childhood years sequestered in his bedroom, a reclusive invalid cared for by his widowed mother. However, all is not as it seems, it turns out that Daniel’s background is shrouded in secrecy and as his story progresses, we discover what dark and dastardly skeletons lurk in the family vaults.
Nadine Rosevear - February 15, 2012 - Eight Keys - Suzanne Lafleur, 2011 - realistic fiction, friendship
Booklist (September 1, 2011 (Vol. 108, No. 1)
Grades 4-7. A few days before middle school begins, Elise is still playing imaginary games with her best friend, Franklin. Soon, she realizes Franklin isn’t cool, and she is not either, by association. School is turning awful, as her locker partner takes delight in making her life miserable, and she has gotten behind in her homework, seemingly never to catch up. To make matters worse, a wonderful life with her uncle Hugh and aunt Bessie is interrupted by the arrival of another relative and her baby. This might seem like plenty for one story, and it is, but the special part of the book comes when Elise begins to find keys that open doors to rooms designed by her late father to help her understand life and explain the hopes he has for her. Told in Elise’s authentic first-person voice, the deft narrative surrounds the everyday problems sixth-graders face with the aura of more meaningful and larger question, which are intended to move Elise forward. Although adults often get short shrift in middle-grade fiction, here they are strongly yet gently drawn, perfect guides for Elise’s journey.
Kathryn Turner - February 10, 2012 - Drawing from Memory - Allen Say - graphic novel
Booklist starred (August 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 22))
Grades 4-7. Say, a Caldecott Medal–winning picture-book creator, returns to his most fertile ground—true life—to tell the story of how he became an artist. He began living alone when he was 12, paying a little attention to schoolwork and a lot of attention to drawing, a pursuit that flourished under the mentorship of his favorite cartoonist, Noro Shinpei. His narrative is fascinating, winding through formative early-teen experiences in Japan as he honed his skills and opened his eyes to the greater world around him. This heavily illustrated autobiography features Say’s characteristically strong artwork. The visually stunning sequences include a standout scene in which the young artist and a friend stumble upon a massive demonstration, which is depicted as a huge crowd of people that snakes down one page and is stopped short by a brick wall of police on the next. The scrapbook format features photographs, many of them dim with age; sketchbook drawings; and unordered, comic-book-style panels that float around wide swathes of text and unboxed captions, and the overall effect is sometimes disjointed. Still, as a portrait of a young artist, this is a powerful title that is both culturally and personally resonant.Nadine Rosevear - February 10, 2011 - Flyaway - Lucy Christopher, 2011 - realistic fiction
Booklist starred (August 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 22))
Grades 5-8. Like her father and grandfather, 13-year-old Isla seems to have a mystical connection, as well as emotional bond, with the swans that migrate to their area each winter. But after her dad collapses during a birding expedition, Isla’s focus abruptly shifts from the nature preserve to the hospital’s coronary care unit. Though worried about her father, she finds solace in her deepening friendship with Harry, a boy who has leukemia; in her bond with a lone whooper swan nearby; and in an unusual school project that takes on a life of its own. Christopher, who wrote the Printz Honor Book Stolen (2010), offers younger readers a quiet but compelling story with several well-realized, idiosyncratic characters. She skillfully develops the novel’s varied elements and weaves them into a unified narrative that occasionally falls into a predictable pattern only to surprise the reader once again. As narrator, Isla conveys with equal sensitivity her discomfort in the initially alien hospital environment, her growing understanding of family history, and her realizations about herself and those she loves. Though written for a slightly older audience, this sensitive novel will resonate with many readers who enjoyed Gill Lewis’ Wild Wings (2011).
Eleanor Surridge-Feb. 9/12-Drawing from Memory-Allen Say-USA 2011-non-fiction (autobiography)
Grades 5-8
Horn Book (Sept/Oct 2011): "Covering roughly the same period as the artist's autobiographical novel The Ink-Keeper's Apprentice (rev. 6/79), this rendering of Say's adolescence takes the form of an album, with text, photographs, drawings, and paintings all enlisted to convey events. At the center of the book, as before, is Say's relationship with his sensei, Noro Shinpei, a popular cartoonist in postwar Japan who took Say on as an apprentice when the boy was only thirteen. Say includes several of his teacher's cartoons in this book, which is harmoniously designed to allow the great variety of images room to work together without crowding. For example, in a sequence illustrating the riot in which Say and fellow student Tokida find themselves, a tidy ink-and-watercolor sketch of the orderly student demonstration is followed by an ominous painting, all blacks and grays, of the waiting police, with a concluding gestural ink sketch of the clash between the two groups. Throughout, you can see canny artistic choices being made -- color here, monochrome there, a cartoon, a snapshot -- that reinforce content with appropriate form. Where The Ink-Keeper's Apprentice was an intense and often gritty portrait of an awakening artist, Drawing from Memory is more discreet and rather more recollected in tranquility, placing a coming-of-age story within the context of a long life and vocation." roger sutton
Nadine Rosevear - February 2, 2012 - Dead End in Norvelt - Jack Gantos- USA 2011- realistic fiction (Newbery Medal 2012)
Booklist (August 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 22)
Grades 5-8. Looks like a bummer of a summer for 11-year-old Jack (with a same-name protagonist, it’s tempting to assume that at least some of this novel comes from the author’s life). After discharging his father’s WWII-souvenir Japanese rifle and cutting down his mom’s fledgling cornfield, he gets grounded for the rest of his life or the rest of the summer of 1962, whichever comes first. Jack gets brief reprieves to help an old neighbor write obituaries for the falling-like-flies original residents of Norvelt, a dwindling coal-mining town. Jack makes a tremendously entertaining tour guide and foil for the town’s eccentric citizens, and his warmhearted but lightly antagonistic relationship with his folks makes for some memorable one-upmanship. Gantos, as always, deliver bushels of food for thought and plenty of outright guffaws, though the story gets stuck in neutral for much of the midsection. When things pick up again near the end of the summer, surprise twists and even a quick-dissolve murder mystery arrive to pay off patient readers. Those with a nose for history will be especially pleased.
Nadine Rosevear - February 2, 2012 - Shadow - Michael Morpurgo - UK 2010 - survival
Never have Aman and his mother needed a friend more than when a springer spaniel appears in the mouth of their Afghan cave. Nursed back to health by Aman, the dog becomes a constant companion, a shadow, and that's what Aman decides to call her. But life in Afghanistan becomes more dangerous by the moment. Eventually, Aman, his mother and Shadow find the courage to leave. But how far can Shadow lead them?
Nadine Rosevear - February 2, 2012 - An Elephant in the Garden - Michael Morpurgo - UK 2011 - Historical Fiction
Booklist (October 1, 2011 (Vol. 108, No. 3)
Grades 4-8. Alternating narratives tell the story of a family’s remarkable survival of the Allied bombing of Dresden in 1945. Lizzie’s mother works at the Dresden Zoo, which plans to destroy its largest animals lest they escape during a bombing. Mutti rescues Marlene, an orphan elephant she raised from infancy. Marlene takes to her new family, particularly to Lizzie’s little brother, Karli, and when the bombers arrive, Marlene accompanies them on their trek across Germany, away from the invading Russians and toward the advancing American army. Along the way, they meet a wounded Canadian soldier, who himself becomes an integral part of this makeshift family. Morpurgo frames the story with a contemporary perspective. Lizzie, now an elderly woman in a nursing home, tells her tale to the young son of a nurse who reminds her of her own young brother. The occasional interruptions to the story build suspense and add a layer of resonance to Morpurgo’s poignant and thoughtful exploration of the terrible impact of war on both sides of the fighting.
CindyColson - 20th January 2012 - Trapped - by Michael Northrop USA 2011- Booklist
It’s a setup just plausible enough to give you chills. A nor’easter, which will ultimately be known as the worst blizzard in U.S. history, sweeps into a rural New England community, trapping seven kids inside their high school for days. Northrop begins with some dark foreshadowing—“Not all of us made it”—which makes the students’ gradual realization of their predicament all the more frightening. First the snow piles up past the windows; then the water pipes freeze; then the roof starts making ominous noises. What begins as a sort of life-or-death The Breakfast Club (there’s the delinquent, the pretty girl, the athlete, and so on) quickly turns into a battle for survival. The book is too short; in many ways, that’s a compliment. Northrop establishes so many juicy conflicts and potential disasters that you long to see them carried out to their full, gruesome potential. Instead, the book ends right when it’s hitting its stride—but there’s no denying that the pages turn like wildfire.
Nadine Rosevear - January 18, 2012 - Chime - Franny Billingsley c2011 USA - fantasy/supernatural fiction.
Library Media Connection (August/September 2011)
Briony believes herself to be a witch. Told in first person, this is the story of two sisters with a mysterious past. Their stepmother died of arsenic poisoning. Briony has the second sight-she can see the "Old Ones." There is a trial where it is discovered that Briony is not the witch she believes herself to be. Famous people such as Darwin and Freud and inventions such as motorcars are mentioned, but there is no real time frame, except for a cryptic insertion of the twentieth century towards the end of the book. The tale is a little quirky, especially as the narrator is laboring under false memory and delusions, and her "self-talk" gets a little cumbersome at times. However, the romance element is sweet and believable, and the supernatural elements do not dominate the story. Give this to students who enjoyed Need (Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2009) by Carrie Jones, as it has similar themes. Robin Henry, Library Media Specialist, Wakeland High School, Frisco, Texas. RECOMMENDED
Nadine Rosevear - January 18, 2012 - The Lions of Little Rock - Kristin Levine c2012 USA -historical fiction.
Booklist (January 1, 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 9)
Grades 5-8. In Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1958, as politicians rage for and against the struggle to integrate schools, Marlee, 13, is a math whiz but she has a personal problem with mutism—she’s terrified to say things aloud in public. Then she makes friends—and more importantly, talks—with Lizzie, the new girl in her middle school, who encourages Marlee to even do an oral presentation in class together. Then one day Lizzie is thrown out of school. It turns out that she is a light-skinned black passing for white, and the locals refuse to follow the federal integration order. (Several kids and rabid adults use the n-word.) Marlee and Lizzie meet secretly, until it becomes too dangerous, with threatening phone calls and the KKK always around. Marlee discovers dynamite in a classmate’s car, and yet still the police do nothing. Marlee’s first-person narrative brings home the standoffs with classmates, family, and officials, but what is most moving is that while most do not change, some do. Readers who want more about the history can start with the long final note and bibliography.
Nadine Rosevear - January 18, 2012 - The Trouble with May Amelia - Jennifer L. Holm c2011 USA - historical fiction
Library Media Connection (August/September 2011)
It's 1900 and life on the Nasel River in Washington State isn't easy. Getting around requires rowing a boat and keeping your eyes open for escaped bulls and wild cougars. The daily happenings of the Jackson family and their neighbors are told by May Amelia, the sole remaining daughter, who has to deal with seven brothers and a dispirited father. In this sequel to her Newbery Honor book, Our Only May Amelia (HarperCollins, 1999), Holm continues the story based on her own family's history. Reading about the family's difficult life is interesting and informative. The community deals with every sort of life problem imaginable-death, abandonment, financial ruin, family honor, immigration, pregnancy, etc. Because of the more mature themes, I'd offer this book to my older students to enjoy as a standalone or as a worthy sequel. Joanne Ligamari, Library Media Teacher, Garden Valley and Harmon Johnson Elementary Schools, Sacramento, California. RECOMMENDED
Nadine Rosevear - January 18, 2012 - Jefferson's Sons - Kimberly Brubaker Bradley c2011 USA - historical fiction
Booklist (September 15, 2011 (Vol. 108, No. 2)
Grades 7-10. Don’t you ever call him Papa. This gripping novel captures the viewpoints of the young children President Thomas Jefferson fathered with one of his slaves, Sally Hemings. Growing up in a cabin at Monticello, the children are told not to mention their father. The president is kind to Sally’s oldest son, Beverly, and encourages him to play the violin. Jefferson promises the children they will be freed at 21. Beverly and his sister, Harriet, look white. Could they pass? But what about their brother, Maddy, who is dark-skinned? Could they leave him behind? The detailed history may overwhelm some readers. But told from the children’s naive viewpoints, first Beverly’s, then Maddy’s, then that of little Peter, another young slave who is beloved by the Hemings family, the young innocents’ elemental questions raise fundamental issues for the reader. How could founding father Jefferson sell off Maddy’s best friend? What does it mean, all people are created equal?
Nadine Rosevear - January 18, 2012 - Dogtag Summer - Elizabeth Partridge c2011 USA -coming of age/historical fiction
Booklist (March 1, 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 13)
Grades 6-9. Ghosts of the Vietnam War haunt Tracy, who as a young child refugee was adopted by a family in California. She remembers early trauma and knows her birth parents were Vietnamese (mother) and American (father), but she searches to find emotional security in her new land, where she still feels like an outsider. Why is her adoptive dad, a Vietnam War vet, often so tense and closed off? When she and pal Stargazer find a Pandora’s box in the guise of an old ammo box in the toolshed, the dog tag and photo inside set off an explosion of revelations. Dad resists Tracy’s questions angrily and finally, after facing what is obviously post-traumatic stress disorder, helps everyone come together with the truth in a way that does not seem forced. Creative and winsome, supporting character Stargazer is a story in himself, and his and Tracy’s escapades help to build this poignant coming-of-age tale into a story that resonates with pain and a hard-fought resolution.
Nadine Rosevear - January 18, 2012 - Icefall - Matthew Kirby c2011 USA - adventure/historical mystery
School Library Journal (November 1, 2011)
Gr 4-7-Solveig and her two siblings are sent to the far end of a fiord for safety's sake while their father battles to save his kingdom. Solveig knows that the elite warriors who brought them there are entrusted to guard her younger brother, Harald, the crown prince. Older sister Asa, favored for her beauty and marriage potential, causes Solveig to agonize about her own insignificance and lack of purpose. Supplies dwindle while waiting for victory news, and anxiety increases as a warship full of the king's berserkers arrives just as ice closes over the fiord. Stranded for the winter, the untamed warriors are restless and unpredictable, and begin to raise mayhem in the camp, killing Solveig's pet goat and accusing one another of treason. Calmed only by listening to stories told by Alrec the skald (poet of the living past), the boorish Vikings become attentive to Solveig as well, bolstering her confidence and providing a means for the author to (ingeniously) integrate tales from Norse mythology, featuring gods Odin and Thor, supernatural creatures, and fallen warriors. In a page-turning climax, the fiord thaws and enemies arrive to overpower the berserkers and kidnap Harald. The ensuing battle and survival scenes are vividly portrayed, and characters fight back with the epic heroism of gods. Solveig is an empathetic heroine and Hake, the hulky berserker war chief, is also a well-developed and (eventually) endearing character. Fans of John Flanagan's "Ranger's Apprentice" series (Philomel) will enjoy this adventure tale.-Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Nadine Rosevear - January 18, 2012 - Amelia lost : the life and disappearance of Amelia Earhart - Candace Fleming c2011 USA - non-fiction
Booklist (December 1, 2010 (Vol. 107, No. 7)
Grades 4-7. Drawing on her training as a historian and her considerable writing talents, Fleming (The Great and Only Barnum, 2009) offers a fresh look at this famous aviatrix. Employing dual narratives—straightforward biographical chapters alternating with a chilling recounting of Earhart’s final flight and the search that followed—Fleming seeks to uncover the “history in the hype,” pointing out numerous examples in which Earhart took an active role in mythologizing her own life. While not disparaging Earhart’s achievements, Fleming cites primary sources revealing that Earhart often flew without adequate preparation and that she and her husband, George Putnam, used every opportunity to promote her celebrity, including soliciting funds from sponsors. The use of a gray-tone background for the disappearance chapters successfully differentiates the narratives for younger readers. Frequent sidebars, well-chosen maps, archival documents, and photos further clarify textual references without disturbing the overall narrative flow. Appended with a generous bibliography and detailed source notes, this is a book most libraries will want both for its fascinating story and as an illustration of how research can alter historical perspective.
Nadine Rosevear - January 18, 2012 - Wonderstruck - Brian Selznick c2011 USA - historical fiction
Booklist starred (August 2011 (Vol. 107, No. 22)
Grades 4-8. Opening Selznick’s new book is like opening a cabinet of wonders—the early museum display case “filled with a nearly infinite variety of amazing things” that is so central to this story. Following the Caldecott Medal–winning The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007), Selznick offers another visual narrative, one that feels even better suited to his inventive style. The beautifully crafted structure includes two stories set 50 years apart. The first, set in 1977, is told in text and follows Ben, who is grieving the sudden loss of his mother when he stumbles upon clues that point to his father’s identity. The second, told entirely in richly shaded pencil drawings, opens in 1927 as a young girl, Rose, gazes at a newspaper clipping. Rose is deaf, and Ben also loses his hearing, during a lightning strike. Both lonely children run away to New York City, and their parallel stories echo and reflect each other through nuanced details, which lead “like a treasure map” to a conjoined, deeply satisfying conclusion. Selznick plays with a plethora of interwoven themes, including deafness and silence, the ability to see and value the world, family, and the interconnectedness of life. Although the book is hefty, at more than 600 pages, the pace is nevertheless brisk, and the kid-appealing mystery propels the story. With appreciative nods to museums, libraries, and E. L. Konigsburg, Wonderstruck is a gift for the eye, mind, and heart.
Nadine Rosevear - January 18, 2012 - Breaking Stalin's Nose - Eugene Yelchin c2011 USA - historical fiction
Booklist (October 15, 2011 (Vol. 108, No. 4)
Grades 6-9. Growing up under Stalin, Sasha Zaichik, 10, lives with his widower dad and 48 others in a crowded apartment with one kitchen and one toilet. Sasha’s dream is to be like his father, serving the great leader and working in the State Security secret police. Then his dad is arrested: did a neighbor betray him? At school, Sasha is recruited to report on anticommunist activity. The present-tense narrative is true to the young kid’s naive viewpoint, but the story is for older readers, especially as the shocking revelations reach the climax of what torture can make you confess. Picture-book illustrator Yelchin was raised in post-Stalinist Russia in the 1960s and left the country when he was 27. In his first novel, he uses the child’s innocent viewpoint to dramatize the heartbreaking secrets and lies, and graphite illustrations show the terrifying arrests of enemies of the people, even children, like Sasha’s classmate. In an afterword, Yelchin discusses the history and the brutal regime that affected millions.
Nadine Rosevear - January 18, 2012 - The Clockwork Three - Matthew Kirby c2010 - USA - steampunk
Library Media Connection (January/February 2011)
Set in what many will recognize as a richly created adaptation of 19th century New York City, the novel follows three young adults who are trying to find their places in the world and make their dreams come true. Giuseppe, an Italian orphan, earns money playing the violin on street corners. He yearns to return to Italy to find his siblings. Frederick, another orphan, works as an apprentice to a watchmaker. His wish is to make journeyman so he can be independent. Hannah supports her family by working as a hotel maid. She yearns to make enough money to move her family out of the tenements. Chance encounters connect the three, each told from that character's point of view. The three are slowly drawn together on an adventure. Kirby simultaneously pulls back the layers surrounding each teen and moves the action forward until the three disparate stories mesh together. The suspense builds, keeping the reader hooked until the end, which does leave room for a sequel. An article about child labor in 1873 gave Kirby the germ for the idea for Giuseppe. Recommended. Esther R. Sinofsky, Director, Instructional Media Services, Los Angeles (California) Unified School District
Josianne Fitzgerald - January 11, 2012 - A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness c2011 - USA
http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Calls-Inspired-idea-Siobhan/dp/0763655597/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326270193&sr=8-1
Big themes of grief and denial make this a meaty book for literature discussions.
Review from School Library Journal:
Gr 7 Up-Conor O'Malley, 13, is having a difficult time. At school, he copes with bullying and loneliness. His father is living in America with his new family, and at home he has to contend with a recurring nightmare that torments him every night. His mother is seriously ill and undergoing painful cancer treatments. One night, he wakes up to a voice calling his name. An ancient, treelike monster, hovering over him like a sleeping giant, has come to tell him three stories. When the monster is done, he wishes for Conor to tell him a fourth tale, wanting the scariest thing of all-the truth. The wise monster's ambiguous tales contain unexpected outcomes and help demonstrate that not all stories have happy endings, but they can be more important than anything else if they carry the truth. Conor has to accept the truth about his mother's prognosis and letting go, even if it means losing her. Only then can he start to heal, without destroying himself in the process. This is an extraordinarily moving story inspired by an idea from author Siobhan Dowd before she passed away. Kay's shadowy illustrations slither along the borders of the pages and intermingle with text to help set its dark, mysterious mood, while Conor is often seen as a silhouette. A brilliantly executed, powerful tale.-Krista Welz, North Bergen Public Library, NJ (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Nadine Rosevear-January 10,2012 - The Storm Begins (Book 1 of The History Keepers) - Damian Dibben c2011
By Fleur (Amazon.co.uk) - fantasy
http://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Keepers-Storm-Begins/dp/0857530534
A swash-buckling adventure yarn about a boy who finds himself in a secret world of time travel and History Protection - If history is destroyed there will be nothing we could have built on, civilisation as we know it could have never evolved. This essential endeavour is set against a backdrop of amazing fashion, exotic locations, beautiful artefacts, colorful and vivid characters whose complex relationships will appeal to both young and adult readers. The method for time travel is innovative and imaginative, (no boring time machines here). The locations and times will inspire readers to want find out more about their world and go and visit..., which they can... because these places are REAL.
As a teacher of A levels I was delighted that historical events were seamlessly woven into the story, AND there were enticing references to the History of Ideas, which students of all subjects find fascinating. Throughout is a friendly humour both intelligent and lavatorial; this book is not mean and worthy, it has a vast range of time, space and appeal.
History Keepers may not catapult your child into being a renaissance man/woman, but its a good start.
Nadine Rosevear-January 10,2012 - Anya's War - Andrea Alban c2011- historical fiction
Library Media Connection (May/June 2011)
In 1937 fourteen-year-old Anya Rosen's family has moved to the Jewish quarters in Shanghai, China, to escape the rise of the Communist Party in the Ukraine. At the opening of the story, Amelia Earhart is missing. She is revered by Anya and her friends who greatly admire Amelia's break with traditional roles and values. Anya and her friends have made a vow not to accept the traditional path for young Jewish girls-marriage and a houseful of children. Instead, they opt to attend Columbia University. When Anya rescues an abandoned baby girl, she discovers that the limitations on females in society go far beyond her Jewish roots as she tries to find a safe haven for the newborn. The book is rich in Chinese and Jewish customs. Besides the obvious curriculum connections that encourage an investigation into the historical context of China and Japan in pre-World War II and Jewish and Chinese culture, this book also leads to discussions on male and female relationships, teen dating, socio-economic differences, and the author's inferred reference towards war in the book's title. Recommended. Sabrina Carnesi, School Librarian, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, Virginia
Nadine Rosevear-December 13, 2011 - A Time of Miracles - Anne-Laure Bondoux originally published in French c2009, c2010
School Library Journal (January 1, 2011) - historical/realistic fiction
Gr 8 Up-Blaise Fortune has gone by the name Koumail for most of his life with Gloria in the war-torn Republic of Georgia. Although he loves her like a mother, he enjoys hearing the story of how she rescued him from a train that had derailed and his French mother, a passenger, died, and he dreams of the day he will find his real family. When the Soviet Union collapses, Gloria and Koumail begin a long, perilous journey to France where she believes he can live the life he deserves, without the stress and strife of war. Readers follow them through refugee camps, alternating between times of more peaceful hardship and periods of danger and flight. When Gloria tells Koumail to hide in a truck, he makes it to France but she is left behind. As he grows from a child into an adolescent, Koumail begins to wonder more about his true identity, and the novel culminates nine years later with a heartbreaking realization. The story is written in beautiful, quiet prose and offers a touch of hope, along with tragedy. The characters and story are well formed, but young people unfamiliar with the circumstances of life behind the Iron Curtain and the collapse of the Soviet Union might be confused as much of the conflict and political situation isn't explained until near the end of the book. However, those who stay with it will be rewarded with an exceptional story.-Sharon Senser McKellar, Oakland Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Nadine Rosevear-December 7, 2011- The Apothecary- Maile Meloy c2011 - fantasy
Booklist (September 1, 2011 (Vol. 108, No. 1)
Grades 6-9. Janie, 14, has been living happily with her screenwriter parents in Hollywood. But it’s 1952, and blacklisting makes it imperative that the family moves to London, where a TV job awaits. Janie is not happy about this, but a startling adventure opens to her as she becomes friends with Benjamin Burrows, whose father is an apothecary, and not just any apothecary. Mr. Burrows is part of a small, international group of scientists who are trying to contain the destructive results of the atomic bomb, including a weapon that is being tested off the coast of Russia. Those who know little about blacklisting, the Cold War, and European life after WWII will just have to dive into the fantasy-adventure pool, which runs long and deep. Magic elixirs, transformational disguises, and everyday cunning help Janie, Benjamin, and several scientists elude capture and defeat the desperate cabal that supports the Soviet Union. Readers must be willing to traverse a complicated tale and avoid stepping in a few plot holes, but Meloy offers a strong narrator in Janie and an intriguing mix of history and mystery.
Nadine Rosevear-November 25,2011 - Black Radishes - Susan Lynn Meyer c2010 - historical fiction
Library Media Connection (May/June 2011)
This debut novel was inspired by the author's father's experience as a young Jewish boy living in Nazi-occupied France. The story opens in pre-war Paris where Gustave and his cousin and best friend participate in a Boy Scout scavenger hunt. As the story progresses, anti-Jewish sentiment grows. Gustave's parents decide that it is too dangerous to stay. While they wait for their visas, they move to Saint-Georges, a village in the French countryside. When Gustave meets Nicole, a Catholic girl from the village, he is finally able to make a friend, one who turns out to work for the French Resistance. As conditions worsen, Gustave's quick thinking and the German soldiers' fondness of black radishes help with a plot to outwit the German guards. This well-written, suspenseful book offers another perspective on the events of World War II. Gustave and Nicole are appealing heroes with whom young readers will identify. Of particular note is the map of Europe that Gustave keeps on his wall, painting each country that falls to Nazi Germany in red. The reader feels his tension and confusion. An author's note gives some details about Meyer's own family history. Highly Recommended. Jennifer Hartshorn, Children's Librarian, Concord, New Hampshire
Nadine Rosevear-November 25,2011 - Small as an Elephant - Jennifer Jacobson c2011 - realistic fiction
Library Media Connection (August/September 2011)
Eleven-year-old Jack awakens at a campsite on Mount Desert Island-alone. Not for the first time, he finds his mother gone. At first he feels she will turn up, but as he uses up his money, ruins his phone, and has his sleeping bag and clothing stolen, he begins to think that the only thing that might change his luck is seeing an elephant named Lydia at the York Wild Kingdom. The wisdom of the elephant is an integral part of Jack's thinking, so he steals a small toy elephant that acts as a talisman and helps protect him on his way and especially in his quest to prevent his mother from being declared a bad parent. A classic journey story, this is a very believable and exciting adventure with modern accoutrements. The reader finds himself trying to anticipate Jack's next move throughout the novel. Barbara Foraker, Librarian, Cherokee High School, Rogersville, Tennessee. RECOMMENDED